The greatest contribution Eric Clapton made to Cream, is not his guitar work, but vocally backing up the magnificent Jack Bruce. Clapton's voice comes almost as an inner-thought to Bruce's narration or words. in an odd way, Cream was a band that had two separate identities or approaches. One is live on stage, and number 2, is the studio. Ginger Baker, Bruce, and Clapton made magnificent music in the studio, their live performances is another matter altogether. There is confusion instead of clarity in Cream. For one they are for sure a blues-based band, but what makes their work interesting is the experimental side or their occasional approach to pop. Their blues material is OK, but it's the pop side that I find interesting and that's mostly due to Bruce's (and Pete Brown the lyricist) approach to the song. "Fresh Cream" is their first album, which has many charms, but for me, it's all Jack Bruce.
The other star in the trio is Ginger Baker. He plays drums with character and personality. In no fashion is his work session-like. Heavy on the cymbals, but with a jazz feeling, him and Bruce are unique rhythm section that sounds different, but in theory close to the Entwistle and Moon combo in The Who. The outstanding song here is Bruce's "Dreaming" which is a beautiful ballad, with Clapton's voice following Bruce, like chasing a faint dream. It's the song that made me re-buy this album. That song, plus "The Coffee Song," "I Feel Free," and the magnificent "Wrapping Paper" are almost forgotten works of songwriting craft and vision.
Cream is important, I think due to their approach of being a trio power band, but again, it's the soft moments that I think are their strength. As Cream went on (not that long, I think the band lasted just a bit over two years), it's Bruce being the multi-instrumentalist, with Clapton backing him in a conservative manner musically speaking. Also, another trio was making the rounds around the same time as Cream, which was The Jimi Hendrix Experience, where I think making comparisons between the guitarists, made Clapton re-think his career. Still, Clapton served Cream well. Jack Bruce/Ginger Baker was the entrance and Clapton closed doors.
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